Great gardens in Mansfield
Tuesday 25th September 2007
Gardening excellence was celebrated in Mansfield on Monday at the awards ceremony for winners of the Best Kept Gardens competition.
Fifty-two gardens and 350 allotments were entered into this year's contest, in various categories including best front and best back garden, best container or hanging basket and best allotment plot.
But the top prize on everyone's mind was the best overall garden and this went to Paula Barrett of Sheepbridge Lane, who also came first in the best back garden category.
Paula, who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and uses a wheelchair, was delighted with winning the award. She said:
"It was such a surprise to have won because I haven't actually been gardening very long. When we were invited to the ceremony I thought I'd possibly won third, but to come first in two categories is just fantastic.
"We've put a lot of work into the garden to adapt it for easy wheelchair access, using raised beds and sinks, so this makes it quite an unusual garden. I hope my winning will show to other disabled people that life isn't over just because you have a disability. In fact, it can very often open new doors and give people a whole new quality of life."
Other prizes were given to Mr and Mrs Marshall for best front garden, Mr G E Haslam for best allotment and Wynndale Primary School won the Best Wildlife Conservation Area category.
Eddie Smith, Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said:
"Well done to all the winners of this year's Best Kept Gardens competition and especially to Paula, who's success is a fantastic achievement.
"We had an excellent turnout of entries – more than double that of last year, which shows more and more people are getting out there and improving their own green spaces. Hopefully the competition will continue to grow and we'll have even more entries next year."
Please see below for a full list of the categories and winners:
Best Front Garden
3rd Sue Wills & Kerry Fox
(joint) D Collins
2nd Mr D Garton
1st Mr & Mrs Marshall
Best Back Garden
3rd Mr A Toomer
2nd Mr & Mrs Harvey
1st Paula Barrett
Best Container/Hanging Basket
3rd Mr & Mrs Harvey
(joint) Mr & Mrs Marshall
2nd Mrs E Nettleship
1st Mrs M Edson
Best Commercial Premises/Pub
2nd Warsop Parish Centre, Church Warsop
1st Ashlands Residential Care Home, Rainworth
Best Kept Street in the District of Mansfield
2nd Millennium Court, Mansfield
1st Southgate Road, Warsop
Best Wildlife/Conservation Area
2nd Mr Gilmour Minor
1st Wynndale Primary School
Most Outstanding Garden in the District
3rd Mr J T Goddard
2nd Mr & Mrs Marshall
1st Mrs Patricia Morris
Best Allotment Plot
Best newcomer: Hazel Dollery
3rd Mr G Mills
2nd Mrs J Gammond
1st Mr G E Haslam
Best All Round Garden
Paula Barrett